The flag of Norfolk Island was adopted on 17 January 1980. br/br/br/br/Norfolk Island, an Australian external territory since 1913, lies 1400 km east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean and has a permanent population of approximately 2000. Norfolk Island gained a measure of self government when it acquired its own Legislative Assembly in 1979. Soon after, Norfolk Island adopted its own distinctive flag.br/Central to the flag is a silhouette of one of Norfolk Island's most famous symbols - the Norfolk Island Pine tree - which was first used on Norfolk Island's great seal, granted in 1856. The green stripes on each side symbolise Norfolk Island's abundant vegetation.br/The ratio of the widths of the stripes are 7:9:7. The Norfolk Island Flag and Public Seal Act 1979 gives no specifications on the size or exact representation of the tree on the flag, it merely states "the middle panel shall contain a representation in green of a Norfolk Island Pine." a href="http://www.ausflag.com.au/norfolk_island.asp"; target="_blank"REF/a